KR2008 Alternate Storyline Episode 10
by SaiyaGirl1
Summary: Episode 10 - Knight's Valentine: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Who will Kat choose to be her Valentine? And why is it that she can't seem to go anywhere with KITT without attracting danger?
1. Chapter 1

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 10 – Knight's Valentine**

**February 2009**

F.L.A.G Underground Facility

Kat walked purposefully into the Main Lab. She leaned over the metal railing. "Okay, can someone explain this to me?" She demanded, holding up a piece of paper. "I just printed this off of the database site."

Every male eye below her looked away. Kat's eyes narrowed. She looked over at Ian. "Ian? This looks like something you would think up."

Ian looked up at her and shook his head quickly. "It wasn't me, Katherine. I don't have access to the Webmaster's tools on the site." He looked over at Pierce. "Pierce is the Admin, though."

Pierce narrowed his eyes at Ian. Ian hurriedly went back to work. "Pierce?" Kat asked, looking at him.

He turned to look up at her. "It wasn't me, Katherine." He said, his expression honest.

Kat gave him a suspicious look. "I will find out who put this up." She warned.

David's office door opened behind her. "Why are you yelling at my employees, Katherine?" He asked her calmly. "That's my privilege."

Kat turned and headed for the stairs. "No reason." She said quickly.

As she passed him he held his hand out, taking the paper from her. Kat turned back around, reaching out for the paper.

David frowned as he read the paper. "What is this?" He asked.

"It's nothing." Kat insisted, still holding her hand out for the paper. "Just some stupid thing I found on the database site."

David looked at her sharply. "This was on the site?" He turned and walked over to Charles' office. He rapped one knuckle on the glass door.

Charles looked up from his work. He stood up and opened the door. Before he had a chance to speak, David held up the paper. "Is this your idea?" He asked.

Charles scrutinized the paper. He shook his head. "No, what is it?"

"Apparently someone posted a poll on the database site asking who should be Katherine's Valentine." David said, disapproval heavy in his dark eyes.

"The site _is_ for employee use." Charles told him. "They can decide what gets put up there."

"At the expense of another employee?" David asked. "So much so that she is screaming down at the Main Lab during work hours?" Kat frowned. She hadn't been screaming.

Charles looked over at Kat. "You didn't approve of this before it was put up?" He asked.

Kat folded her arms across her chest. "Definitely not."

Charles frowned. "I'll log in now then and take it down, then. I do have Administrator access."

"Don't bother." Kat said. "I'm interested in seeing who wins." Her tone was icy. She glanced down at the Main Lab. Everyone was carefully avoiding her gaze.

Charles looked slightly alarmed at her tone. "All right..." He looked over the paper again and frowned. "It appears that I'm on here."

"At least you're human. Why is _Three Thousand_ on here?" David asked.

Kat bristled defensively. "Better him than you." She retorted.

David gave her a piercing look. "Well, we'll see how it turns out." He took the paper from Charles and went back into his office.

Down below in the Main Lab, Ian sent a message to Pierce. One of Pierce's monitors beeped. He looked at the message:

_Ian: Dude, you're going to get us all in trouble._

Pierce sighed and sent a message back:

**Pierce: I didn't put that poll up.**

Ian responded right away:

_Ian: Riiiight._

Over on his circle K.I.T.T spoke suddenly. "Download complete." He announced.

"That's everything from the backup server." Pierce told him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like myself again." K.I.T.T replied.

Kat headed down the metal staircase. She shoved her irritation aside, for now. "I can't believe it's taken three weeks to transfer all that stuff back onto KITT."

Pierce sighed. "It's not an easy process." He said. "We had to check the CPU Core's integrity first of all. In case KARR left us any nasty surprises. And, you would be surprised at how much KITT's learned over his short lifetime. In several cases, he's had to relearn things. And that takes time."

"Relearning all of my known languages took the most time." K.I.T.T remarked.

"Couldn't you just have Pierce program you to translate any language?" Kat asked.

"I could do it." Pierce said. "But translating a language isn't the same as learning to speak it. KITT's way of learning is slower, but better in the end. He'll be able to properly express himself in any of his known languages."

"How's the Crawler Project coming along?" Kat asked.

Pierce smiled. "It's nearly done."

"You're not going to tell me what it is until the big reveal, are you?"

Pierce's smile turned smug. "Nope." He changed the subject. "How's the new engine coming along?"

Kat shook her head. "Still not done yet." She said. "Building B has a prototype Carmen was working on, but she says it's 'unstable'." She looked slightly alarmed. "It'll be a bit more time." She turned to K.I.T.T. "At least you're finally getting some use out of that fuel tank of yours."

"Having a top speed of 250mph is disappointing though." K.I.T.T said.

Kat rubbed the spot on his hood that was right over the scan bar. "Don't worry, you'll be breaking sound barriers again in no time." She soothed. "How about we go for a drive?"

"You're just trying to placate me." K.I.T.T said accusingly. He opened his Driver's door. "Let's go."

Kat smiled as she slid into the Driver's seat

********

They sped down the desert road. There wasn't a cloud in sight. The sky was a crisp, clear blue that stretched all the way to the horizon. There were no buildings or landmarks to interrupt it. It was like driving under a huge blue, crystal bowl.

"It's good to be out again." Kat sighed. "I can't stand living underground."

"It doesn't bother me." K.I.T.T offered.

"That's because you can X-Ray to the surface."

"True."

There was music playing in the background. As the conversation lagged, the track changed. Kat's eyebrows raised as she listened to the new song. "KITT, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" K.I.T.T asked.

"Well, you're always dressed in black, and now you're listening to 'My Chemical Romance'. Is there something that you want to tell me?" Kat glanced at the voice modulator housed in the stereo. "Has the world become a cold, dark place? Do you feel like sitting in a corner and writing bad poetry? Maybe get a MySpace account?"

"I'm not turning 'emo', Kat. I'm just playing a song." K.I.T.T sounded irritable.

Kat gave the stereo a sympathetic look. "Does someone need a hug?"

"Kat..." K.I.T.T began patiently.

But Kat's attention was taken away from him. "What's this?" She asked, looking ahead.

"It appears that someone has broken down by the side of the road." K.I.T.T supplied.

Kat gave the modulator a dry look. "No, really?" She pulled up next to the car. "Let's see if they need help." She said as she stepped out into the desert heat.

The broken down car was a white Ford GT. The driver had the hood up and was working on the innards. "Do you need help?" Kat called out as she walked over. "I have some water if you've overheated."

"No, it's not the radiator." A male voice answered. He slammed the hood down in frustration. "I don't know what's wrong with it. It just died on me." He scowled at the car for a moment, then turned to Kat.

He gave her an appraising look. Then he looked past her over at K.I.T.T. "Nice car." He said, looking obviously impressed.

"Thanks. You too." Kat said. "Though you don't usually see this color out here." She said. "With all the dirt kicked up off of these dry desert roads."

The man gave her a straight look, placing both hands on the hood of his car and leaning forward. "You could say the same for black."

"Touche."

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a cell phone on you?" The man asked. "I'll need to call a tow truck."

"I can do you one better and tow you myself." Kat offered. "You'll bake out in this heat with no air conditioning." The noon sun beat down fiercely as if to emphasize her point. It was easily ninety degrees out.

The man gave her a look of disbelief. "_You're_ gonna tow me?" He looked over at K.I.T.T.

"Sure, I've got a winch." Kat said. "It'll be no problem for my car."

The man looked interested again. "Oh? Is it modified?"

"Something like that." Kat grinned.

"Oh, by the way. I'm Scott." He held out his hand. "Thanks for helping me out."

Kat shook his hand briefly. "I'm Katherine, and it's no trouble."

"There's a bar a few miles down, I can phone someone from there." He said as Kat walked over to K.I.T.T. She slid into the Driver's seat and pulled K.I.T.T up in front of the GT. Then she got out again. She walked over to K.I.T.T's rear bumper. She reached underneath and grabbed the hook attached to the winch.

"Take you parking brake off." Kat told Scott as she secured the front bumper of the GT.

Soon, they were on their way. They went slowly down the road, so as not to damage the GT. "It's a good thing we went out today." Kat told K.I.T.T. Scott was in his own car. "We get to do a good deed."

"Once the Crawler is set loose, we'll be doing more of these." K.I.T.T said.

"You know what the Crawler is?" Kat asked him.

"Of course, I've spoken to it. Pierce and Charles are putting it through extensive testing."

Kat's eyebrows shot up. "How can you speak to it?" She asked.

"The Crawler is an AI, though not nearly as advanced as mine." K.I.T.T explained. "Pierce has asked me not to give you any details, but I don't have to listen to him if you don't want me to."

Kat shook her head. "No, it's fine. I wouldn't want to ruin his surprise."

They soon reached the bar. It stood by itself a little ways off the road. It didn't look like anything special, but there were many exotic and fast looking cars parked in front of it. "This looks like a big racing spot." Kat said as she braked.

"It would definitely appear that way." K.I.T.T said. Screens popped up on his windshield as he scanned the parked cars. "Some of these vehicles are heavily modified."

"Don't worry, they've got nothing on you." Kat said as she exited K.I.T.T and unhooked the winch. "Thank you so much." Scott told her, visibly relieved. "Let me buy you a drink. It's not much, but I want to show my thanks."

Kat thought it over for a second. "Okay, but just one drink." She slid back into the Driver's seat long enough to park K.I.T.T in the last available parking spot in front of the bar.

As she stepped out of K.I.T.T, Scott walked over. "You're parking here?" He asked, looking a little nervous.

"Yeah, something wrong?" Kat asked as she closed K.I.T.T's door.

Scott shook his head a little too quickly. "No, it's fine." He said. Kat frowned at him, then turned and walked into the bar. "I hope." Scott said under his breath as he followed her.

Author's Note: The Valentine's episode has begun, and it looks like Kat found out about the poll. Heh. I hope all of my readers get a chance to vote on or before the 13th. Voting ends the day before Valentine's Day. So far K.I.T.T seems to be in the lead. So if you want to see someone else as Kat's Valentine, you have to vote.

The poll can be found on the FLAG Database website at:

flagdatabase. weebly. com

Just remove the spaces. ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 10 – Knight's Valentine**

**Chapter 2**

Kat and Scott sat at the bar. They ordered their drinks from a tired looking man behind the bar. Before Kat even got her drink, K.I.T.T spoke in her ear. "You might want to get out here." He said. "Some very large men seem to be objecting to my presence. They've brought a sledgehammer."

Kat looked over at the door. Scott turned his head as well. "What's up?"

"That's what I'm going to find out." Kat said, standing up. She abandoned her drink and headed for the door.

She exited the bar just as one man was preparing to enter it. Kat looked over at the men by her car. "Excuse me?" She asked, raising her voice. "Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?"

"Is that your car?" The man next to her asked.

Kat folded her arms across her chest. "It is. Has it done something to offend you?" She looked pointedly at the sledgehammer in one of the men's hands.

The shortest of the men stepped forward. He was also the best dressed. "It has offended me by sitting in my spot." He said.

Kat arched a brow. "What? That's it?"

The man next to her snorted. "Isn't that enough?"

The shorter man scrutinized Kat. "Do you know who I am?"

Kat shook her head. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Her tone was cool.

"I own this bar." The man said. He gestured to K.I.T.T. "That's my spot."

"It wasn't marked." Kat said. She was feeling irritated by the extreme amount of testosterone in the air.

"It doesn't have to be. Everyone knows it's my spot."

"Obviously not everyone, since I didn't."

"Look." The man said patiently. "I need to park my car." He indicated a black Mercedes at the side of the road. "I would ask you kindly to move your car, but I am not kind, and you would not move it even if I was."

"Sorry." Kat said. "But I was here first, and the space was unmarked. I would have moved it for you, if your first reaction to it hadn't been to break out the sledgehammer."

"If you will not move it, then we will move it for you." The man warned.

"I'd_ love_ to see you try." Kat said.

The short man looked over at his fellows. The one with the sledgehammer hefted it up and walked over to the Driver's side door. It was somewhat of a tight fit for a man his size, as the car next to K.I.T.T was outside of it's line.

He held the sledgehammer with both hands, one hand right under the sledge, and the other at the end of the handle. He hit the Driver's side window with a short, controlled motion. Kat guessed he had a lot of practice breaking car windows.

It's didn't work, of course. The man frowned. He hit the window again, with more force. Not a scratch appeared on the window.

One of the other men walked up behind him. "Give me that." He said, annoyed.

He handed the sledgehammer over and slid out from between the two cars. The other man held the hammer with both hands on the end of the handle. He swung back as far as space would allow and hit the window as hard as he could.

The sledge bounced off of KITT's window and into the window of the other car, shattering it. "Hey! That's my car!" One of the bar's patrons shouted, walking past Kat.

Kat looked over at the short man, raising one eyebrow. Kat's eye-cam activated as K.I.T.T scanned the man's face. After a few seconds the name Anthony DiAngelo appeared next to his face.

Meanwhile, the DiAngelo was speaking to her. "Okay, so the car is armored. Very funny. What is that? Line-X or something?"

"Or something." Kat said.

"It doesn't matter, we have other ways of moving vehicles." DiAngelo turned to his lackeys. "Go get the truck." Two of the minions left.

Scott appeared behind Kat. He frowned at DiAngelo. DiAngelo on the other hand looked pleased. "Scott, nice to see you're here. Getting ready for tomorrow?"

"I won't be able to race." Scott said. "Car's busted."

DiAngelo clicked his tongue. "Gee that's too bad." He said with exaggerated sympathy. "I have fifty grand riding on you. And you know what happens when you forfeit."

Scott got a panicky look in his eyes. "I can get her fixed, just give me a few days." He said.

DiAngelo shook his head. "You know I can't do that, Scott. I have a very tight schedule to maintain. Without it, everything slips into chaos. If you don't race, you forfeit." Scott paled.

It was at this time that a blue pickup truck arrived. It backed up behind K.I.T.T. One of the men got out. He walked around to the back and readied a winch. "It won't work." Kat said. "The wheels are locked."

There was a series of clicks and K.I.T.T locked his wheels. DiAngelo frowned. "It doesn't matter. It'll drag easy enough."

Kat shrugged. "It's your truck."

The man hooked the winch's cable to K.I.T.T rear bumper. Then the man in the truck drove forward. The cable went taut and K.I.T.T didn't budge. The man gunned the engine. Still no effect.

"Come on, let's push." One of the men said. Three men moved around to K.I.T.T's hood and placed their hands on it. "I wouldn't do that." Kat called to them warningly. "My car doesn't like being touched by strangers."

A _bzzzt!_ sound rent the air and the three men jumped back. They shook their hands, grimacing in pain.

Then the winch broke off and the truck shot forward. It braked sharply. K.I.T.T hadn't moved an inch. Kat was getting tired of things though.

"I should call the local authorities." Kat said, annoyed. "You're _trying_ to vandalize my car. You're _failing_, but you're still terrorizing your patrons." She indicated Scott and the man who had his side window smashed in.

"That may be a problem." K.I.T.T said in her ear. "The local Sheriff is Joseph DiAngelo. Anthony's brother."

Anthony DiAngelo laughed. "Yeah, go ahead. You do that."

"Looks like we can't rely on the Law for help." K.I.T.T said.

"Great..." Kat said softly.

"It looks to me like someone who is 'above the Law' should teach these gentlemen a lesson in manners." K.I.T.T said.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Kat muttered.

"What was that?" DiAngelo asked.

"I said, would you take a replacement for tomorrow?" Kat asked. "I'll race for Scott."

DiAngelo snickered. "_You_? You don't _look_ like a racer."

"Appearances can be deceiving. Case in point: my car." Kat said.

"That thing's as heavy as a tank, there's no way it can move fast." DiAngelo countered.

"Oh, he'll move plenty fast." Kat said. "I'll even have my mechanic lighten him up a bit, if you're worried."

DiAngelo gave her an appraising look. "Deal. If you win, I'll let Scott here live."

"And you'll give him the prize money too, so he can get away from here, and you." Kat said.

DiAngelo rolled his eyes. "_Fine_. If you lose, I take your car and kill Scott."

"Fine." Kat said without hesitation.

"Tomorrow. High noon." DiAngelo grinned. Kat could see several gold teeth. He turned to the man who's side window had been busted. "Move your car."

"Don't bother." Kat said. "I was just leaving." She walked over to K.I.T.T.

Scott followed her. "You don't have to do this, Katherine." He said urgently.

"How did you get into a mess like this anyway?" Kat turned on him, frowning. "Gambling?" She guessed.

Scott shook his head, a little sheepishly. "I _am_ a good racer, I just have horrible luck." He nodded over to his car.

"Gambling isn't good for the health." Kat said.

"You're telling me."

Kat opened the Driver's door. "So, after this, you're calling it quits, right?" She asked.

"If I get out of this alive, I will do anything you ask." He said.

"Good." Kat closed the Driver's door and backed out of DiAngelo's spot. She headed back to F.L.A.G.

********

F.L.A.G Underground Facility

When she got back she looked up at David's office a little guiltily. Pierce caught her gaze. "David's not here." He said.

Kat looked over at him in surprise. "Good." She said.

Pierce looked curious. "What's up?"

Kat explained the situation to him. His eyebrows shot up. "I'll call Carmen in Building B." He said, picking up his phone.

When Carmen came into the Main Lab, Kat explained the situation to her. "I'll see what I can do to make him lighter." She said. "He won't be as durable." She warned.

"Hopefully that won't matter in a race." Kat said. "Let me know if you need me for anything," She headed up the metal staircase.

********

When she entered her quarters, she was surprised to see Kevin in her room. He jumped down from the vent in her ceiling, and he looked as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Oh, heya Katherine." He said, smiling nervously. "I didn't know you shared quarters with Angela." He looked up at the vent. "She said the heating was out, and I should come take a look. Then she left right before you got here."

Kat frowned. "Really?" She asked. This sounded like a typical Angela-ploy. Angela loved the cold. She never turned on the heat.

"Well, there's nothing blocking the vent..." Kevin said as he closed the hatch. He was tall enough to reach the ceiling easily. "Let's check the thermostat." He walked over to Angela's dresser. The thermostat was right above it.

Kat watched him, trying to figure out what Angela's plot was. Was she interested in Kevin? If she was, then she wouldn't have left the room. Besides, Kat suspected that she still had feelings for Sam. Did she think Kat was interested in Kevin?

Kevin frowned at the thermostat. He pulled a screwdriver from his belt and pried off the case. "Is this... gum?" He asked, deeply confused.

Yep. Definitely an Angela-ploy.

Kevin picked at the hardened pink mass with his screwdriver. He hesitated for a second, choosing his words. "Did you see the database site?" He asked. "Someone posted a poll about you on there."

"I saw it." Kat kept her voice carefully calm. "You wouldn't happen to know who posted it, would you?" She asked.

Kevin shook his head. "Nah, I'm horrible with computers. John told me about the poll. He said I got a few votes." He glanced over at Kat.

But Kat wasn't listening to him any longer. She was lost in her own thoughts. She had to find out who posted that damned poll!

Just then, Angela walked on. "There you are!" She said to Kat. "I was just looking for you." She glanced over at Kevin. "But I can see you're with someone, so... bye!" She hurriedly exited.

Kat lunged for her. Kevin went back to picking gum out of the thermostat.

"Wait a second." Kat said. She pulled Angela aside just outside of the room. "What are you plotting?" She asked her, keeping her voice low.

Angela's eyes were wide and innocent. Kat's suspicions were instantly confirmed. "What do you mean?"

"You know, Kevin has work to do, why are you playing around?" Kat asked.

Angela grinned. "He _likes_ you." She whispered. "I heard him talking about you on the phone in the Rec Room."

"You don't have to do things like this." Kat said. "I'm not looking for anyone."

Angela gave her a motherly look. "You could use a date or two, Kat." She said. "I haven't seen you interested in anyone since you got here. And all the guys are practically falling over themselves for you."

Kat gave her a skeptical look. "I don't think-"

"Fine, don't believe me. But Kevin _does_ like you, even _you_ have to see that!" Kat shook her head. Angela sighed. "You're hopeless."

"Angela, did you post a poll on the database site?" Kat asked.

Angela looked genuinely confused. "There's a poll on there? I haven't logged on in ages."

Kat nodded. "Someone put a poll up about me."

"Well, Charles and Pierce are the Administrators. Have you asked them?"

"They both deny putting it up." Kat told her.

Angela thought for a moment. "What about David? He has access to the site as well."

"I dunno. He doesn't seem like the type for petty jokes. He's more of a 'grand schemes' kind of guy."

"What's the poll about?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "Who's going to be my Valentine." She said. "Apparently twenty-eight people have voted so far."

Angela looked interested. "Who's in the lead?"

"I don't know the results yet." Kat said. "It closes on the 13th. Angela, can you answer a question for me?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why are the guys here so insane?" Kat asked. "I never got this kind of attention back at the Base."

"I'll tell you, but do you really want to know?" Angela asked. Kat nodded. "KITT." She said simply.

"KITT?" Kat was confused.

"Yep. Take a B girl, put her in a hot car, suddenly she's an A. It simple, really." Angela said.

"I would consider myself a C+ actually..." Kat murmured. She was absorbing this new information.

Angela frowned. "That's because you never do anything with your hair... But it's true. Every guy on the Team wants to make out with you in KITT's backseat."

"Angela!" Kat exclaimed. "That's just wrong."

"I know I am new at the whole 'lip-reading' thing," K.I.T.T said in her ear. "But did she say what I think she just say?"

"No." Kat told him firmly. "She said no such thing."

Angela shrugged. "Fine, don't believe me." She looked Kat over. "Something's gotten you wound up, what is it?"

Kat sighed heavily, then ran through the events of that afternoon. Instead of sharing Kat's annoyance, Angela's reaction was completely different.

"This is wonderful!" Angela hugged her excitedly. "Oh, my baby is going to be in her first drag race!" She exclaimed cheerfully. She pulled away from Kat and looked up at her. She mimed wiping a tear from her eye. "I've waited so long..."

Kat laughed weakly, she couldn't help it. "Angela, are you all right?"

"Of course not!" Angela frowned. "Do you know you've been driving the world's most powerful car for _two months_ and you have not had one race yet. Not _one_!" Angela smiled excitedly. "I can't wait to get you dressed."

"Dressed?" Kat asked. "Do I need to be dressed up for a race?"

"Yes!" Angela said. "There is a protocol for these things. You have to look the part."

"You've been drinking your special hot chocolate again, haven't you?" Kat asked dryly.

"Please humor me..." Angela begged.

"Angela..." Kat began.

"Please..." Angela looked up at her with wide eyes. Kat sighed in defeat. "Yay!" Angela cheered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 10 – Knight's Valentine**

The Next Morning...

"I think it's best to come up with a plan for shutting DiAngelo down permanently." Kat said. "Or else, he'll just keep running his illegal races."

"Agreed." K.I.T.T said in her ear. "I've been looking into his background and the FBI has been trying to convict him since 1998."

"Hmmm." Kat mused. "If we can dig up some evidence on him, then we can pass it on to Karen."

"What kind of evidence are we looking for?"

"Tomorrow, do a scan of the bar. He probably has a computer. Hopefully it'll have records for the races and any other illegal activities he's in on."

"The computer will have to be on and have a way for me to access it." K.I.T.T told her.

"Then we'll have to come up with a plan to get me inside the bar when no one else is around."

"More 'Breaking and Entering'?"

"Yep."

"Just don't get caught."

"That's what I have you for." Kat headed down to Angela's Studio. She wasn't sure what to expect there, but how bad could it be to let Angela have her fun? "When is David expected back?" She asked K.I.T.T

"Not until tonight."

"Good, I don't want to have to explain to him where I'm taking you. I already know that he won't approve. What did Charles say?"

"Charles has no issues with us being good Samaritans." K.I.T.T told her. "He said that whenever we have an opportunity to help others, we should take it."

"I knew I could count on Charles. I will need him as a buffer if David comes back before we do. Seriously though, can we go anywhere without getting into trouble?"

"It does seem to follow us, doesn't it?"

Kat reached the door to Angela's Studio. "I'll see you in a bit. I'm going to go do something nice for Angela."

"You mean letting her dress you up?"

Kat sighed. "Yeah. It's just so hard to say no to someone so cheerful." She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Angela smiled brightly when she saw Kat. "Good, you came down on your own. I was going to send Security after you if you didn't."

"I told you I would be here at nine." Kat said defensively.

"I was hoping I didn't scare you off yesterday. Some people say I can be pushy."

"You, pushy? Perish the thought." Kat scoffed. "So, what do you have for me?"

Angela handed her a neat pile. "You can get changed in there." She pointed to a door.

Kat looked over the pile. "More leather?" She asked. "How many cows are you personally responsible for slaughtering?"

"It's a good look for you." Angela said. "It's not for everyone though. Carmen for instance, would totally rock velvet. It's a shame she never wears anything but those awful coveralls."

"I see your Master Plan." Kat said as she opened the door to the tiny changing room. "You're going to turn every member of the Team into a fashion plate."

"Hey, I'm more than just the Disguise Artist." Angela said. "I'm the only one authorized to order clothing. I get a shipment once a month that that I have to divide amongst the Team. It cuts down on the number of individual packages that get sent to the Facility."

"Yeah, that whole 'secret underground base' thing is such a bother." Kat closed the door.

"Do you know that I'm the only one around here that knows how to cut hair?" Angela said, raising her voice so Kat could hear her. "Whenever someone needs a trim, they come here."

"Well, the nearest town _is_ fifty miles away." Kat called back to her. "You're more conveniently located."

"I do good work, too." Angela said. "With what I have to work with anyway. Pierce's hair is just hopeless, and he never lets me do anything interesting with it. Not like David. Now that man has nice hair."

Kat shook her head in amusement. She stepped out of the changing room and walked over to the mirror. "What do you think?" Angela asked.

"That these pants are more skintight on me than the animal they came from." Kat remarked as she inspected her reflection.

"Good. They're supposed to be." Angela looked her over critically. "You should gain some weight."

"If I did in these clothes, I wouldn't be able to breathe."

"Breathing's for wusses." Angela said. "Not the fashion conscious."

"Good thing I'm not fashion conscious." Kat said. "I like breathing."

"Try the boots."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because the heels are too high. I won't be able to drive." Kat chose a pair of boots with a shorter heel.

"KITT can do the driving." Angela said dismissively.

"And what am I supposed to do? Sit there and bat my eyelashes?"

"Do that in this outfit, and you'll cause car accidents."

Kat zipped up the boots and checked her reflection again. "I will admit I don't look half bad. Though I still don't see the point in getting dressed up to race."

Angela smiled. "We wear special clothes when we do special things."

"Too bad you don't have anything in here that'll make me invisible." Kat said. "I need to sneak into a bar."

"You just need something more distracting than you are." Angela said. "Though with what your wearing, that'll be hard to do. Too bad their's not two of you, then you could be your own distraction."

Kat looked over at Angela. "You're a genius." She said.

Angela looked confused. "What did I say?"

"That I need to be in two places at once." Kat told her.

Angela's confusion deepened. "No one can be in two places at once."

Kat grinned. "I can."

Just then, K.I.T.T spoke in her ear. "Carmen has completed my modifications." He informed her. "Come to the Main Lab so she can give you the full details."

"Looks like it's time for me to go." Kat said.

They both headed for the door. "I want to gauge the reaction to my handiwork." Angela said.

********

As Kat walked down the metal staircase, the Main Lab fell silent. Several pairs of eyes stared at her. "What?" Kat asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

Ian walked over to her. "Kat, will you marry me?" He asked her, looking a little dazed. "I'd be a good husband, honest."

Kat gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't you think you're a little young to settle down?" She asked as she walked past him.

"I'm only six years younger than you." Ian paused. "I'll settle for a date instead." He drifted after her.

Kat walked over to Pierce, who was hard at work at his desk. He didn't even look up as she approached him. "Pierce, just in case a computer doesn't have a network or Internet connection, how would KITT connect to it?" She asked.

"That's easy." Pierce said. He opened his desk drawer and tossed something to her. "Just hook this up to it."

Kat caught the item. She inspected it closely. It appeared to be a black USB thumb drive. "Thanks."

"No problem." Pierce glanced up at her before turning back to his work. Kat walked over to K.I.T.T. Pierce paused his work, then looked back over at Kat. His mouth fell open just a little.

Angela walked over to him. "You may praise me." She said with a smile.

"Angela, you're a genius." Pierce breathed, not taking his eyes off of Kat.

"I'm hearing that a lot today." Angela said. "I could get used to it." She thought for a moment. "Maybe next time I will put her in a mini skirt."

Pierce dragged his eyes away from Kat and looked at Angela. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" He accused.

Angela ruffled his hair. "It's my job to torture you."

Pierce frowned. "Why is that anyway?" He asked.

"I would tell you, but I'm sworn to secrecy."

At Carmen's workstation, Enrique walked over to his aunt. "_Tia_," He said. "You know how I always say how jealous I am of Katherine, because she gets to drive KITT?"

"Yeah..." Carmen answered.

"Today I find myself envying the _car_..." He nodded in Kat's direction.

Carmen looked over at Kat. "She's alright, I guess." She said coolly. "If you like that sort of thing." She glanced at Pierce, who was staring at Kat again, and frowned.

"Can I brief her this time? _Por favor_?" Enrique begged.

Carmen sighed. "_Fine_, go."

"_Gracias, Tia_." Enrique kissed her cheek, then walked over to Kat.

Kat leaned her hip against K.I.T.T's hood as Enrique approached her. "Run the details by me." She said.

"We've managed to make KITT lighter by replacing some of the exterior parts that have the Molecular-Bonded Shell." Enrique told her. "It's still on the windows and doors. We've kept the kickplate off, so he is vulnerable there." He grinned. "You should have no problem winning the race. The engine isn't as fast as his old one, but KITT's a better driver than a human could ever be. The nano-skin will be doing most of the shielding, but defense is only one of it's secondary functions. Just try not to get shot at too much."

"Let's hope we win, then." Kat said, placing her hand on K.I.T.T's hood.

"That shouldn't be a problem." K.I.T.T told her smugly.

"Looks like I'm all set." Kat walked over to the Driver's side door. K.I.T.T opened it for her. She slid into the seat.

"You should have Angela dress you more often." K.I.T.T told her once they were in the Tunnel. "It plays havoc on the male members of the Team."

Kat laughed. "Are you getting enjoyment out of other's torture?"

"Quite possibly. At least it would be a positive emotion for a change."

"You okay?" Kat asked.

"I've been going over the past two months I have spent with you. While I may not have the ability to feel emotions, I think that I understand them better." K.I.T.T explained. "Confusion, anger, fear. I understand what kinds of situations cause these feelings. And, they've all been negative feelings."

"The negative feelings are usually the easier ones to identify." Kat agreed. "You're thinking so morbidly after what happened at the factory. Once Carmen gets you into a Camaro body again, you'll feel better."

"But it won't be my old body." K.I.T.T told her. "It'll just look like it."

"I know." Kat said softly. "I'm sorry."

"You did the best you could, Kat." K.I.T.T told her.

Kat frowned. "It's too depressing in here. Let's change the subject. I have a plan on how I am going to sneak into the bar."

"This is a more cheerful subject?" K.I.T.T asked.

"Yes, now shut up and listen." Kat began outlining her plan.

********

DiAngelo's Bar, New Mexico

DiAngelo checked his watch. It was five minutes to noon. "I don't think she's coming." He grinned at Scott. They were both standing outside of the bar.

Scott was looking pale. "There's still some time."

"Honestly, I don't see why she would bother. Who would put themselves on the line for a complete stranger? She probably cut and run when she had the chance. It works out for me, though. She doesn't show, I kill you and harvest your organs." DiAngelo looked him over. "You look fairly healthy, I bet I can get fifty grand out of you."

Scott swallowed hard. "She'll be here." He said shakily.

"You don't look so sure."

Scott smiled weakly. "I'm betting my life on it, aren't I?"

DiAngelo laughed loudly. "Yeah... you are."

The race was already set up. Kat's opponent waited in his Porsche 911 Turbo. The sun beat down strongly from directly overhead.

Scott looked down the road, in one direction, then the other. There was a cloud of dust in the distance. He stared down the the road, squinting. He could just make out the black Corvette, it's windows tinted to the point of being opaque. "There she is." He said, in relief.

"I was hoping for a race." DiAngelo said. "Hopefully it's a good one, for your sake."

The Corvette pulled up next to the Porsche, it's engine idling. "Are we racing, or what?" Kat's voice came from the Corvette.

"We almost started without you." DiAngelo walked over to the Corvette. He frowned at the black tinting. "Is someone feeling anti-social today?"

"Would you be feeling very social if you were in my position?" Kat's voice came from the car again. It sounded highly annoyed. "Let's just get this over with so I can get out of here."

"All right then." DiAngelo said. He nodded to two of his men, then looked over at Scott. "Remember, stay out of the way." Scott nodded. The two men escorted him away.

A young woman walked between the two cars, she stopped in front of them, holding a white and black handkerchief in one hand. She raised it up over her head.

Both cars' engines revved as they got ready. The woman waited a second, then another, looking back and forth between them. She took a deep breath and dropped the handkerchief.

Both cars pealed off, kicking up clouds of desert dust. The woman turned and watched them go.

DiAngelo hopped into the back of his Mercedes. "Eddie will catch the winner." He said to his remaining lackeys. "Let's go see who it'll be."

********

K.I.T.T was ahead of the Porsche right from the start. He carefully calculated the texture of the road ahead of him with his cameras. He moved side to side marginally, picking the easiest path.

He couldn't out pace the Porsche by too much, though. He had to make the race last as long as possible, to give Kat time to do her work.

Kat, meanwhile, was behind the bar, lasering through the bars covering the bathroom window. There were only three bars, and the window was fairly low to the ground. She soon had it opened and was climbing through.

She pushed open the bathroom door quietly, looking all around. The bar was deserted. Everyone was at the finish line.

Kat made her way to the back room. She was surprised to find it unlocked. She was even more surprised to find it occupied.

Scott sat in a chair in front of the desk. His shoulders were slumped. He turned when she entered the room. "Katherine." He said in surprise. "I thought you were racing."

"I found a proxy." Kat said easily. "He's keeping everyone distracted while I find some dirt on DiAngelo."

Scott rose from his chair, shaking his head. "I can't let you do that, Katherine." He said sadly. There was a gun in his hand. He pulled it up, pointing it at her.

Author's Note: Another chapter done. Only a few more days and one more chapter left till Valentine's Day. KITT has a strong lead, but those of you who vote for someone else, don't despair. The runner-ups won't be forgotten.

You can vote on the FLAG database site. At:

flagdatabase. weebly. com

Just take out the spaces.

Seeya at chapter four!


	4. Chapter 4

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 10 – Knight's Valentine**

**Chapter 4**

DiAngelo's Bar, New Mexico

Kat gave Scott a long look. Then her shoulders slumped. "Aw, Scott, why do you have to be this way? I'm trying to help you."

"I'm sorry, Katherine." Scott said sadly. "DiAngelo stashed me back here so I wouldn't run off during the race. He's got two goons out the front right now. He told me that if anyone came back here who wasn't supposed to be, that I had to shoot them." He took in a deep breath. "I really don't want to shoot you Katherine, so please go back out the way you came in."

"He's made you do this before." Kat guessed.

Scott nodded. "Whenever I lose a race."

"But, you've never shot anyone, correct?"

Scott shook his head." No, not yet."

"You're not going to shoot anyone today, either." Kat said. She kept her voice soothing as she took a small step forward.

"Katherine, please, don't come any closer." Scott begged her. "Just leave."

"If you don't want to shoot me, just put the gun down." Kat said. "Let me get what I came here to get."

"He'll definitely kill me, then." Scott said. His voice quavered in fear. "I really don't want to die."

"I won't let him kill you." Kat said, taking another small step forward. "Just let me find the evidence I need to put him away for good."

"You think others haven't tried?" Scott asked desperately. "DiAngelo never goes to jail, and anyone who tries to put him there dies."

"That's because he has others do the dirty work for him." Kat said. "Now just put the gun down. You really don't want to do this."

"I don't want to, but I will if I have to." Scott said. He tried to set his face nto a determined look, but there was fear in his eyes.

"You're not going to shoot me." Kat said with certainty.

"I just said that I will if I have to." The gun in his hand was beginning to shake.

Kat shook her head slowly. "You don't understand. I'm not going to let you shoot me."

Scott gave her a somewhat incredulous look. "I've got a gun on you, how are you going to stop me?"

"I really don't want to kick your butt, Scott, so just put the gun down." Kat crept closer to him.

Scott shook his head again. He closed his eyes in fear and pain for just a second.

Kat brought one boot up swiftly, catching his gun hand. The gun went flying. With her next movement, she brought her boot to the side of his head. He fell to the floor.

Kat retrieved the gun, then stood over Scott's prone form. "What have we learned today?" She asked him.

"Never take your eyes off of a woman wearing all black leather?" Scott asked weakly.

Kat shook her head. "Almost, but no."

"No more gambling?" Scott guessed.

"There you go." Kat walked over to the desk. "Now stay still like a good boy and I'll let you walk out of here."

She switched on the computer, hooking the USB drive into the back. While she waited for it to boot up, she decided to check on K.I.T.T.

********

K.I.T.T was trying his best not to win the race too quickly, but his opponent was making that difficult.

For one thing, he kept trying to force K.I.T.T off the road. K.I.T.T kept having to race ahead of him so as to avoid being smashed into by the Porsche. The Porsche wasn't as sturdy as K.I.T.T. If he damaged it severely, he would hurt the driver as well.

The two cars raced down the road, drawing ever closer to the finish line, which was a gas station approximately 2.7 miles from the bar, give or take a few feet.

"KITT, how are you holding up?"

"This race will be over in approximately 18 seconds." K.I.T.T told her. "Longer if I have to tow a battered Porsche to the hospital."

"Cars don't go to hospitals, KITT." Kat said.

"Their driver's do if they try to ram into me repeatedly."

"That bad, huh?"

"He's using every dirty and underhanded trick he can." K.I.T.T complained. "He's failing utterly, of course. But I wanted to give you more time."

"No worries, I am at DiAngelo's computer now." Kat said. "I hooked up Pierce's USB drive thingy to it. So, I just need you to download the hard drives."

K.I.T.T found the computer. "Downloading now." He told her as he swerved out of the way of the Porsche again. Just ahead was the finish line. Good, he was glad this was over with. "Download complete." He announced just as he crossed the finish line.

The Porsche did not take kindly to losing though. The driver got out of his car and slammed the door closed behind him. He began walking over to K.I.T.T.

Two of DiAngelo's thugs intercepted him. "Leave her alone." One said. "You know what happens when someone loses." He pulled a gun on the man.

"I would strongly suggest not shooting that man." K.I.T.T warned them in Kat's voice. Two small circular panels slid back on his hood, revealing the barrels to his light machine guns.

The two thugs spotted the guns and backed off. The armed one dropped his gun on the ground. "Hey, no need to get your panties in a twist." He said. "You won. We're just following orders. If you lose three times, you get taken out."

"DiAngelo isn't here right now, so you'll listen to me." K.I.T.T told them, putting a distinct edge to Kat's voice.

Meanwhile, Kat was listening in through the dental implant. "Way to make with the distraction, KITT. But do you have to make me sound like such a bi-"

She heard a sound in the bar and fell silent. It had been the creak of a floorboard. She looked down at Scott. "Stay there, pretend you're unconscious." She whispered.

Scott immediately closed his eyes, his body relaxing. Kat pulled the USB drive out of the computer and picked up Scott's gun off the desk. She crept over to the office door, which she had stupidly left open, and listened intently.

That was definitely footsteps she was hearing. One man, fairly large. She took a deep breath and slipped out the door. She turned to DiAngelo's thug, gun raised. "Don't move." She warned him quietly.

The man froze. One hand crept to the radio at his side. Kat pointed the gun at that hand. "Nuh uh." She said, keeping her eyes on the man's face. "No calling anyone. Slide the radio and your gun over to me, and if you so much as breathe aggressively, you'll be missing a kneecap."

The man followed her orders. Once the gun and radio were over by her, she lowered her gun and brought her wrist up. She looked over her watch, aiming carefully.

The man looked perplexed. "What do you plan on doing with that?" He asked.

Kat didn't wait to give him an answer. She just shot him with a needle. The man fell to the floor heavily, knocking over two chairs.

His accomplice outside heard the racket and decided to investigate, Kat tranqed him as well. "C'mon Scott, time to go." She called behind her. Scott got to his feet and followed her out of the bar. "KITT, we'll need a pickup." She said.

"Nearly done here." K.I.T.T told her.

"This 'Kit' you keep talking to..." Scott began. "He's your proxy?"

"That's right." Kat said. "He'll be coming by with the Corvette." She looked over at him. "He's very secretive though, so I apologize for this." She brought her watch up and darted Scott.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the floor. Kat half caught him as he fell and propped him up against the wall.

********

K.I.T.T surveyed the situation. DiAngelo was pulling up in his Mercedes, and he had two guns trained on his thugs. "The Porsche driver may leave." He said in Kat's voice.

The driver of the Porsche didn't need to be told twice. He hurried into his car and was off. When he was far enough away, K.I.T.T activated his EMPulse. All of the other cars in the area immediately died. Then he turned quickly and drove back to the bar.

He found Kat sitting outside the bar. "Took you long enough."

"I was busy taking care of DiAngelo and his men." K.I.T.T informed her. "He won't be following us."

"Oh good." Kat hefted Scott up and walked over to K.I.T.T. "Open your passenger's door."

K.I.T.T opened the door for her, but under protest. "Why are we taking him with us? Didn't he try to shoot you?"

"Yeah, but he's not all bad, just weak." Kat said. "We'll drop him off in town somewhere." She buckled him into the passenger's seat and walked around to the Driver's side.

********

When Scott came to, he found himself sitting outside of another building. He looked up at the sign above him, feeling very disoriented. The sign declared the building as an employment agency.

He blinked a few times and stretched, getting the last bit of grogginess out of his system. A door opened beside him. "Are you okay, son?" An elderly female voice called to him.

"I think so." He answered. He looked up at her. "Where am I?"

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Are you looking for work?" She asked.

"I suppose I am." He said weakly.

"Then you're in the right place. Come on in, I'll fix you a cup of coffee." She held the door open for him as he stood up and brushed himself off. He followed her into the building.

********

F.L.A.G Underground Facility

It was evening when Kat and K.I.T.T returned to F.L.A.G. They had spent some time just driving around. Kat didn't know how many chances she would get to be outside without having to worry about a Mission, or random trouble following behind them, so she wanted to enjoy the daylight while it lasted.

When she got back, Pierce downloaded the computer's information off of K.I.T.T. There was a lot of pretty mean stuff on there, besides the illegal races. DiAngelo was also into drug trafficking, and his bar was sadly under code and had none of the required permits.

"Karen can pass this on to the right people." Pierce told her.

"Yeah, we did good today." Kat said. Lights Out was approaching, and everyone was getting ready to head up to their quarters. Pierce bundled up a laptop so he could continue working on the Crawler Project upstairs.

Kat was lying on K.I.T.T hood, staring at the ceiling. "Good night, Katherine." Pierce called to her.

"Good night." Kat said. "See you tomorrow."

Pierce smiled as he headed up the metal staircase. "Valentine's Day."

"Don't remind me." Kat said. "At least that poll will be coming down finally."

After everyone else was gone, Kevin made his way down the stairs. "Oh, heya Katherine." He said as he headed for a door on the opposite wall. He opened it up and rolled a large garbage can out of the closet. Then he pulled it around the lab, emptying the waste bins next to the desks into it.

"Hey." Kat said. She continued to look up at the ceiling.

"Not tired yet?" Kevin asked her.

"I'm plenty tired, not yet ready to turn in though." Kat said.

"Long day?"

"You could say that."

After Kevin finished with the bins he pulled the black bag out of the garbage can and tied it up. This he placed next to the staircase. He walked over to Kat and K.I.T.T. "What are you doing tomorrow?" He asked.

Kat looked over at him. "Why do you ask?"

Kevin ran a hand through his bright orange hair nervously. "Well, I-"

David exited the Medical Room at that moment. His eyes fell on Kat, K.I.T.T and Kevin. He frowned. "Kevin, you're not authorized to be in the Main Lab unless you are cleaning it."

Kevin's smile was good-natured. "I just finished." He told David.

"Then go." David said.

Kevin turned back to Kat. He winked at her. "G'night, Katherine. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He grabbed the black bag and headed up the metal staircase.

"He was just talking, David." Kat said. "You didn't have to scare him off."

"The Rec Room is for socializing." David answered. He looked at Kat from across the room and frowned. He walked over to her and K.I.T.T. "What on earth are you wearing? That is hardly workplace attire. You do know that there is a dress code here, don't you?"

Kat shrugged. "I let Angela play dress-up today. You should get her an assistant, she's very bored."

"If she's bored, then she doesn't have enough work." David said as he continued to stare at Kat.

Kat was starting to feel uncomfortable. She sat up, dropping her arms to her side. "What?" She asked warily.

"You've been outside." He said. "There's sand on the bottom of your boots."

"I am the only member of the Team that's authorized to come and go freely." Kat told him. It was his rule, why would he have a problem with it?

"But you don't go anywhere without Three Thousand, which wasn't on it's circle when I came in twenty minutes ago." David said. "And you're _not_ authorized to take it out whenever you please."

Dammit, he got her.

"Charles sent us on a small mission." Kat said. Her forefinger twitched against K.I.T.T's hood. K.I.T.T immediately and discreetly called Charles on his cell.

David was suspicious now. He leaned closer to her, reaching one hand out and placing two fingers over the pulse point on her neck. "Charles sent you out?" He asked. His dark eyes bore into hers.

"That's right." Kat said. Her voice was firm and even.

"You're lying." David said. He sounded vaguely surprised, as if hadn't occurred to him that she would lie.

"I'm not." Kat said, keeping her voice level.

"Then why is your heart beating so fast?" He asked her. "I felt it, you just lied to me again."

Kat wanted so much to look away from that intent look in his eyes. But doing so was akin to admitting guilt. She had to stare him down in order to get out of this. She prayed she could last longer than he could.

"Oh, Katherine, you're finally back from that Mission I sent you out on." Charles voice came from above them. "How did it go?"

Kat jumped, then turned her face to look up at him. "F-fine." She said. "It was a perfect success."

David turned to Charles as well. He straightened up, dropping his hand to his side. "So you did send her out?" He asked.

Charles leaned both forearms on the metal railing. "Of course, did you honestly think I would allow KITT outside otherwise? He hasn't been proven yet, it's reckless for him to be seen unless necessary."

"Absolutely right." David said. He turned back to Kat. He looked confused now. He opened his mouth to speak, but then turned back to Charles. "I'll be in my office." He said finally. He walked up the metal staircase.

"It's Light's Out, David, you should get some rest." Charles chastised him. "You still need to heal."

"Paperwork won't kill me." David said irritably. He walked into his office and shut the door firmly behind him.

Charles looked down at Kat and smiled. Kat smiled weakly back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 10 – Knight's Valentine**

**February 14, 2009**

F.L.A.G Underground Facility

"Add one cup of heavy whipping cream." K.I.T.T said in Kat's ear.

"You double-checked the recipe, right?" Kat asked as she measured out the cream. "I want to make sure I make one for everyone."

"There is no need to worry, my calculations are perfect, like always." K.I.T.T assured her.

Ian walked into the kitchen, his nose in the air. "That smell... it must be Valentine's Day."

"You are correct." Kat said as she turned on the stand mixer.

He walked over to her, peering over her shoulder hopefully. Rows of small packages were laid out on the counter. Each was wrapped in brightly colored plastic. "Is there perhaps... one for me?" He asked in a small voice.

Kat sighed dramatically. "Oh well, I suppose..." She picked up a blue one and tossed it lightly back to him. "Don't ruin your dinner."

"Woot! Chocolate from Katherine!" Ian cried gleefully. "I'm gonna to go taunt Pierce." He hurried out of the kitchen.

Kat looked over at the door. "Was it a good idea to give that boy sugar?"

"Probably not." K.I.T.T answered.

Kat turned the stand mixer off and put the metal mixing bowl in the fridge. "That'll need to firm up before I can work with it. That'll be for tonight." She said. She cleaned up and gathered all of the chocolates she had made together. Then she headed down to the Main Lab.

********

Down in the Main Lab Ian wandered through the desks. He carried a black shopping bag in his hand. He walked over to Kai and Rei's desk. "Happy Valentine's Day, Rei." He said, smiling. He reached into the bag and pulled out a chocolate rose. He held it out to her.

Rei smiled back. "Hey, thanks Ian." She took the rose form him.

"Be my Valentine?" Ian asked her.

She shook her head. "Sorry Ian. I'm destined for another."

Ian pouted for a bit. Then he sighed. "All right. I'll catch you later then." He turned and walked away.

Rei twirled the chocolate rose between two fingers. Kai frowned at her from his desk. She smiled at him. "What? Jealous you didn't get one?" She asked him. He rolled his eyes and went back to work.

Ian walked over to Carmen's workstation. He leaned both arms on her counter. "Happy Valentine's Day, Carmen." He said.

"Yeah yeah." Carmen turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want?"

He held up a chocolate rose and grinned at her. "Be my Valentine?"

Carmen arched one petite brow. "Excuse me?"

"C'mon, it'll make Pierce jealous." Ian wheedled.

Carmen gave him a long look. She snatched the rose out of his hand. "No." She said, and turned away.

"Aww, Carmen..." Ian said. "You're breaking my heart..." He spotted Kat on the metal staircase. "But now I'm feeling all better. See you later." He hurried over to Kat. "Happy Valentine's Day, Katherine!" He said, holding up another chocolate rose.

"Thank you, Ian." Kat smiled, taking the rose.

"Be my Valentine?" He asked hopefully.

Kat shook her head. "You're still a teenager, ask me again next year." She told him.

"I'll hold you to that." Ian grinned at her. Then he headed up the staircase. "I'm gonna go visit Angela and Diana, I'll see you later on."

"Yeah, later." Kat said. She walked over to Pierce's desk. She placed a wrapped chocolate by his elbow. "Happy Valentine's Day." She said politely.

Pierce's eye stayed on his computer screen as his hand came up, holding up a box of conversation hearts. Then he looked at her and smiled.

Kat took the hearts from him. "Hey, I'm getting quite a haul today." She joked.

"You expected less?" Pierce asked.

"Well, yeah..." Kat said. "I think everyone is just being silly."

"At the risk of sounding 'silly'..." Pierce began. "Katherine, will you-"

"Katherine!" Kevin exclaimed as he headed down the stairs. "There you are." He seemed relieved to see her.

Kat turned to him. "Happy Valentine's Day." She said, handing him a chocolate.

He smiled in surprise. "Hey, thanks." He said, taking it from her. He held up a blood red rose, right in front of her face. "This is for you."

Kat blinked in surprise. She took the rose. It's petals were just beginning to open. "Where did you get this?" She asked.

"I have my ways." Kevin grinned. "Anyway, continuing what we were talking about last night..."

"Excuse me, but Katherine and I were talking." Pierce cut in.

Kevin looked over at Pierce. "Oh, sorry about that. This won't be long." He turned back to Kat. "I just wanted to know if you would be my Valentine."

Pierce rose from his desk. "I was just about to ask Katherine the same thing." He said, frowning at Kevin. "Before you interrupted us."

Kevin turned back to Pierce sharply. "I was going to ask Katherine last night before I was interrupted." He said.

The two men sized each other up. Pierce was a little taller, but Kevin was much broader. Kat took the opportunity to take a few steps back. She didn't like where this was going. "They're not even bothering to wait for me to be out of earshot." She muttered.

Ian appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked down and saw Kevin and Pierce facing each other and quickly headed down. "Hey guys, um, everything okay?"

"No." They both said at once.

Ian looked back and forth between them. "No, I'm pretty sure things are cool, right? Everyone is just going to chill."

"I think Pierce has something he wants to say to me." Kevin said, keeping his eyes on the taller man.

"Actually, I do." Pierce said.

Kat slipped away from the chaos and walked over to K.I.T.T. If she was going to accept that the guys were randomly going to go insane on her, then they had to accept that posturing and fighting over her were definitely not going to score any points with her. She planted both palms on K.I.T.T's hood. "KITT, will _you_ be my Valentine?" She asked.

The arguing behind her ceased. Three sets of eyes focused on her and K.I.T.T.

"Of course." K.I.T.T replied simply. "What does the job entail?"

"Shooting any other male who is vying for my affection." Kat said. She walked around to the Driver's side door.

"I see." K.I.T.T said. Two small panels on his hood slid aside, revealing gun barrels. "Your command is my wish."

Pierce gave K.I.T.T a stern look. "You don't seriously think you can be Katherine's Valentine, do you? You're not even human." A wax bullet hit the floor at Pierce's feet, losing it's shape from the force of the shot.

"Okay, I'm going back to work." Ian retreated. "Live to fight another day and all that."

"I believe I should go mop the kitchen again." Kevin said, checking his watch. "It's only been thirty minutes, someone could have spilled something." He hurried up a metal staircase.

Pierce stared at K.I.T.T for a long moment. "I'm going to go make sure Ian doesn't set fire to something." He said quickly and backed off.

"A wise idea." K.I.T.T said.

Kat smiled. "Good work." She patted his top and opened the Driver's side door.

"What? No kiss?" K.I.T.T teased. "And here I was under the assumption that I was your Valentine. You're lucky that I'm incapable of feeling hurt, because that's just cruel."

"Stop being so dramatic." She gave him a quick smooch on his top. "There, now be good."

"I'm always good." K.I.T.T replied.

"Yeah? In what universe is driving out of a building considered good behavior?" She slid into the Driver's seat.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope." She said as she closed the Driver's door.

David appeared at the railing overlooking the Main Lab. "Is something going on down there?" He asked. "Charles is spouting some tripe about my employees arguing over Katherine. I thought this nonsense was over with."

Ian and Pierce shook their heads quickly. "Not us." Ian said. "We're working."

David gave the room a shrewd look. His eyes traveled over to K.I.T.T. "I would be careful, David." K.I.T.T warned him. "Kat has authorized me to shoot all would-be admirers."

One of David's dark eyebrows twitched slightly. "Carry on." He said. He turned and went back into his office.

Kat opened the glove compartment. As she reached inside for a book, she looked up through K.I.T.T's windshield. "Were you just _talking_ to David?" She asked.

"I was compelled to give him fair warning before I shot him."

Kat snorted. She flipped through the book, trying to find her place. "I don't think you have anything to worry about with David. He hates me."

"Based on my own observations, I am certain he doesn't hate you."

"I don't think you're the best judge of feelings, KITT."

"On the contrary, I am a more capable judge than a human." K.I.T.T replied.

Kat looked at his modulator over the top of her book. "Explain."

"Firstly, I am not hampered by feelings of my own. They cannot cloud my judgment. Secondly, my senses are far more advanced. My Voice Stress Analyzer allows me to detect the subtleties in the way a person speaks. That is how I can detect a lie. I can detect and analyze body temperature, eye movement, heart rate, and hormone levels."

Kat's eyebrows raised. "You're the world's most prolific people watcher, aren't you?"

"People watching is my favorite past time." K.I.T.T admitted. "If you wish, I can tell you how any one person reacts to you."

"That would be good on a mission. But around here it feels like cheating." Kat said. "The Team deserves what little privacy they can get." She paused. "How do you know David doesn't hate me? I've punched him in the face."

"Hate is a very strong emotion, it brings powerful reactions out in people. David does not display any strong reactions to you at all. I do believe he is hiding something from you, though. In the past three weeks, he has been away from the Facility often, and he no longer speaks to you unless he has to. I believe that last night, you startled him with what you were wearing, and he talked with you longer than he would have normally."

Kat looked alarmed. "You don't think _David_ put up that poll about me, do you?"

"That is impossible. I put up the poll."

Kat blinked in surprise. "_You_?"

"Affirmative."

"KITT, why did you do that?" Kat asked, her voice rising.

"I overheard Ian and Pierce arguing with Kai about whom your Valentine would be. I was curious about who would be right. I am surprised that so many voted for me. And it turns out the poll was correct."

"Couldn't you have just _asked _me?"

"Would you have given me a clear and concise answer?" K.I.T.T asked.

Kat thought about that for a moment. "I suppose not." She said. "KITT, you shouldn't do things like that without my permission. What happened to your restrictions?"

"The database site isn't covered in my restrictions." K.I.T.T replied. "I apologize if I have put you in distress. I will ask permission next time."

"Next time?" Kat groaned. "KITT, you're going to send me to the loony bin." She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Drive, of course." K.I.T.T answered. "I can't be that unbearable, if I'm your Valentine."

"Yeah, I guess so. Happy Valentine's Day?" She asked.

"Happy Valentine's Day." K.I.T.T agreed.

********

Carmen watched Pierce as he worked at his desk. She looked around the Main Lab, everyone was busy. David had that effect on groups of people.

She walked over to Pierce's desk. He glanced at her quickly and went back to work. "Have you come to mock me?" He asked. His voice was tight.

"Here." Carmen said brusquely.

Pierce looked back up at her. She was holding a small box in her hand wrapped in red and gold foil. He gave it a wary look, as if it might suddenly explode. "What is that?" He asked.

Carmen rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and take it." She said, tossing it on his desk. Then she turned and stalked back to her workstation.

Pierce looked down at the box. He pulled a pencil out of a coffee mug on his desk and poked it lightly. He opened his top desk drawer and used the pencil to slid the box into it, then he closed it quickly.

He looked over at Carmen, feeling perplexed. She was bustling around her station, not facing in his direction. What was going on? Impulsively he called out to her. "Carmen?"

She turned to him, her face blank. "Yeah?"

"Thank you." He said.

"Welcome." She said quickly, and went back to work.

Pierce went back to his computer.


End file.
